“I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out
of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves in
the shape of anything in the sky above or on
the earth below or in the waters beneath the
earth; you shall not bow down before them or
worship them. For I, the LORD, your God am
a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their
fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who
hate me, down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth
generation, on the children of those who love
me and keep my commandments.”
Walter Crane artist (1845-1915)
HIS tree-of-life protected Adam’s eyes
from grotesque visions of his earthly fate
while, lovingly, Jehova did devise
the eve of mankind to initiate
abandonment from treasures He had planned.
In human form, linnaea members creep
in circled patterns woven from desire,
designed by God in Adam’s dreamless sleep,
to understand what heaven does require
in servitude to His reflexive hand.
Tap-rooted shrubs from Even’s offense still weep
in lonely solitude for paradise.
Yet, puerile seedlings from those branches seek
forbidden fancies found in idol ties
in opposition to God’s first command.
Fig apple limbs extend tree-ripened fruit
to grasping fingers fashioned to deceive
since, tantalized by sin, they dare refute
His awesome edit; and do disbelieve
a loving God could take a vengeful stand.
Old willows, weeping, moan an anguished cry
in retrospective yearning to foretell
His judgement on young jesters who defy
the omnipotent Presence in that knell;
impassioned that all seedling of God’s land
should understand bright flames of Sinai
illuminate dark crevices in hell
so mortals see more clearly what they buy
from mundane treasuries; and what they sell
without a fleeting thought of reprimand.
| The Curator’s Notes: This poem is arguing: Idolatry is original and ongoing: From Eden onward, humans choose created things over Creator Each generation repeats the pattern: “Puerile seedlings” = we never learn Modern rationalization is nothing new: Denying God’s right to judge is just another form of eating forbidden fruit The warning is clear: Sinai’s flames illuminate both law and consequence, and ignorance is no excuse God’s design included human failure: He “devised” Eve knowing abandonment would follow—it wasn’t a surprise to God ======= In the context of the poet’s last year, the poem articulates: Human nature’s persistent rebellion (including her own) The tension between God’s love and God’s justice Modern tendency to domesticate God, denying His “vengeful stand” The multigenerational consequences of sin (relevant as grandmother thinking about her descendants) People purchase temporary, mundane pleasures by selling their souls/eternal life, and they do it thoughtlessly, without considering they’ll be held accountable. |
The Coping Stones 